ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
Joseph B. Tipton, Jr., Arnold Lumsdaine, Charles Schaich, Gregory R. Hanson
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 72 | Number 4 | November 2017 | Pages 616-622
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1350486
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The ITER Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH) system Transmission Lines (TL) require highly polished copper mirrors on miter bends (both 90° and 140°) to direct microwaves from their origin to the tokamak. This will result in substantial heat dissipation on the miter bends and mirrors and will require water cooling in order to achieve long pulse operation. Analysis and optimization of the cooling design for the 140° miter bend assembly used ANSYS® Multiphysics™ software to develop and verify the fluid, thermal, and structural behavior of the mirror and miter bend assembly. Simulation model choices included a thermo-mechanical model of the mirror-only, a thermo-mechanical model of the miter bend assembly, and a thermo-mechanical model of the mirror with coolant. These analyses revealed an optimal solution that uses a major-axis cooling channel configuration for the 140° miter bend to meet the design criteria (e.g. structural stresses, mirror deflection, vacuum seal, coolant temperatures and pressures).